“Some people believe that consumer societies — where buying and owning material goods is seen as very important — lead to less happiness overall. Do the advantages of consumer societies outweigh the disadvantages?”

Read the question twice.

Underline every keyword. The instruction word ("agree", "discuss") decides your structure. Get this wrong and you cap at 5.

Plan for 5 minutes.

Two body paragraphs. One main idea each. Pick examples BEFORE you write the intro.

Write your intro last in your head.

Once you know the conclusion, the intro writes itself. Paraphrase the question, don’t copy it.

Aim for 270–290 words.

Less = task incomplete. More = grammar errors. Stay in the pocket.

Leave 3 minutes to proofread.

Hunt articles ("a/an/the"), subject-verb agreement, and "make/do" mix-ups. They’re your usual suspects.

Off-topic intro

Paraphrase the question. Don’t broaden it.

Conclusion that just repeats

Add one new reason. Or a recommendation.

"Make a damage"

Collocation slip. Use "cause damage".